Articles: postoperative.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jul 2016
Observational StudyAnalgesic management after thoracotomy for decortication in children: a retrospective audit of 83 children managed with a paravertebral infusion-based regime.
It is important that postoperative analgesic management after thoracotomy is very effective in order to optimize postoperative recovery. A regional technique such as an epidural or a paravertebral catheter with an infusion of local anesthetic may be supplemented with systemically administered analgesic drugs in order to achieve satisfactory analgesia. ⋯ Analgesic outcomes with this regimen appear to be very satisfactory. It compares favorably with an epidural-based regimen.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Postoperative Urinary Catheterization Thresholds of 500 versus 800 ml after Fast-track Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized, Open-label, Controlled Trial.
No evidence-based threshold exists for postoperative urinary bladder catheterization. The authors hypothesized that a catheterization threshold of 800 ml was superior to 500 ml in reducing postoperative urinary catheterization and urological complications after fast-track total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). ⋯ In fast-track THA and TKA, a catheterization threshold of 800 ml significantly reduced the need for postoperative urinary catheterization, without increasing urological complications. This large randomized, controlled trial may serve as a basis for evidence-based guidelines on perioperative urinary bladder management.
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The use of lung-protective ventilation (LPV) strategies may minimize iatrogenic lung injury in surgical patients. However, the identification of an ideal LPV strategy, particularly during one-lung ventilation (OLV), remains elusive. This study examines the role of ventilator management during OLV and its impact on clinical outcomes. ⋯ Low VT per se (i.e., in the absence of sufficient PEEP) has not been unambiguously demonstrated to be beneficial. The authors found that a large proportion of patients continue to receive high VT during OLV and that VT was inversely related to the incidence of respiratory complications and major postoperative morbidity. While low (physiologically appropriate) VT is an important component of an LPV strategy for surgical patients during OLV, current evidence suggests that, without adequate PEEP, low VT does not prevent postoperative respiratory complications. Thus, use of physiologic VT may represent a necessary, but not independently sufficient, component of LPV.